CIA and Military Interrogators Call for Less Interrogation Power

It's an extremely rare occurence that someone in the federal government, especially in the intelligence field, asks for less
power. Intra-government wrangling is almost always predicated on
securing more authority for either yourself or at least for the branch,
service, or office you represent. So it is not just unusual but in fact
extraordinary that fourteen U.S. military and intelligence
professionals, all of whom have experience with U.S. interrogations and
some of whom are quite prominent within their community, have signed a
letter asking Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to revoke key
interrogation authorities. Specifically, they are requesting that the
Pentagon revoke Appendix M of the Army Field Manual, a controversial document granting many of the "harsher" interrogation techniques.

Harper's Scott Horton, who has a copy
of the letter, explains that the authors worry that "separation," a
useful and humane technique in which prisoners are allowed their own
cell, has become more difficult to use because of its similarity to the
much harsher "isolation" techniques, which is part of Appendix M. Horton writes:

The
interrogators call these techniques “ineffective” and
“counterproductive.” “The use of sensory deprivation techniques, extreme
isolation and stress positions is likely to lead to false information,
facilitate enemy recruitment, and further erode the reputation of the
United States,” they write.

... Matthew Alexander,
a former senior military interrogator who developed the information
that led to the killing of Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi,
told me that he had not signed the letter, but said, “I’m in complete
agreement with the letter."

... The letter is also drawing
support from human-rights advocates. Calling Appendix M a “wolf in
sheep’s clothing,” Human Rights First has issued a report (PDF) backing up the interrogators.

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